Office of Vital Statistics will be closed all day tomorrow

Thu, 08/15/2013 - 3:37pm

The Office of Vital Statistics will be closed tomorrow — Friday, August 16— to allow all staff to participate in the final day of clean up for Pavaiai Elementary School and ECE before the new school year begins next Monday.

Pavaiai Elementary is one of the ten public schools cited by the Department of Health inspectors as having sanitary and safety problems — which are being addressed by the main Education Department office.

Vital Statistics is one of the bureaus within the Department of Homeland Security (ASDHS), which has been designated to carry out clean up of Pavaiai Elementary and ECE under the Adopt-a-School Initiative.

Part of — and in line with — its Adopt-a-School Initiative commitment in meeting the critical needs before the school year schedule begins next week, ASDHS director Utuali’i Iuniasolua Savusa says that services normally provided by Vital Statistics tomorrow will not be available all day.

“Our department is committed, and due to the scope of work needed at the school property, we are putting forth our maximum available manpower resources without incurring any major interruption of services to the public during the week,” he said in a statement.

“However, this Friday, we need to and will include all department personnel to participate in this very worthwhile project and all ASDHS offices will be closed to the public,” he said.

In the event of an emergency or urgency on Friday, please contact ASDHS Emergency Operation Center (EOC)at 699-3800 to relay a message.

Utuali’i told Samoa News yesterday the unsanitary and unsafe issues cited by health inspectors is something that is properly addressed by the professionals at the main DOE office.

“We are here at Pavaiai to help with the clean up of the school buildings, cafeteria, kitchen and campus,” said Utuali’i, adding he was told by the principal that the school’s enrollment for the new school year is 1,400 students.

“That's a large number of students and our help is needed to clean and make the facility available to serve this high number of students,” he said via cell-phone interview from the Pavaiai school campus.

Meanwhile, an email message went out this week to all directors from the governor’s office, saying its the governor’s wish for all government employees in Manu'a to do clean up every Friday each week except for holidays and emergency situations with the governor's office personnel taking the lead.

Tomorrow’s clean up will focus on Manu’a schools before the start of the new school year on Monday.